Unexpected Gifts

Today, both Alex and I were recipients of unexpected gifts. Early this morning the doorbell rang and a DHL guy brought us two packages. And when I say us, I mean Alex. I guess these were belated birthday presents, though unexpected and very much appreciated. My brother Lukas sent a second Playmobil toy, this time a very cool collapsible plane, but Alex is playing with it as if it were a rocket. Very cool. The second box was from my parents and included some Abraham Lincoln stuff (including a refrigerator magnet which is now on one of our radiators, because that's the only magnetic surface I could find and a page from the Washington Post with several pictures and a story about the Lincoln Memorial), and a great Melissa and Doug spelling game (clearly, I'm not the only one thinking about Alex's ability to practice recognizing and using the letters of the alphabet). Lots of fun was had with all these new things and though we started with a very modest amount of toys a mere 19 days ago, Alex is beginning to have quite a stash here. We cannot continue to acquire toys at this rate - or else we'll have to have a yard sale at the end of all this.

The second, and possibly even better unexpected gift (or rather, long-term loan) is a super comfy chair from my friends. Those of you who read this blog regularly have become aware of my recent obsession with finding a good spot to settle down in my apartment and so far nothing had worked satisfactorily. Well, today, the situation was dramatically improved. Sherry remembered that she had an super comfy super deluxe folding chair stashed away somewhere that she only uses in the summer (to sit outside and grade papers...), so I retrieved it today and have been luxuriating in it ever since. It's no real solution for working on the computer (though she had excellent suggestions for nearby cafes and libraries I shall try in the not so distant future), but it's fabulous for reading! Thanks, Sherry. It has dramatically increased my quality of life. As you can see, Alex loves it as well.

And, yes, it's big enough for both of us to comfortably fit and snuggle.